Engineer David Ford on giving unpopular answers to a flood of questions
Being the bearer of unwelcome news rarely makes you the most popular person in town, particularly when it comes to flood control. But it doesn’t worry David Ford, one of the most trusted figures on California’s sometimes-contentious flood control scene and a man with a knack for speaking what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Hagar once called “the truth that men prefer not to hear.”
“I tell my clients to be careful what you ask me, because I’m going to answer the question,” says Ford, 60, founder and president of David Ford Consulting Engineers Inc. “If you’re not prepared for that, perhaps you want to ask a different question or ask another consultant.” (click to continue reading)